A cement carrier under construction at Penglai Zhongbai Jinglu Ship Industry Co Ltd, China, was successfully launched on 30 March 2020. The vessel, called ‘Advaita’, has been built under the classification of Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass).

IRClass surveyors braved the constantly-changing scenario of both global and local restrictions due to COVID-19 and immense challenges including movement of manpower, to ensure the float happened as scheduled. Advaita, is approximately 160m long, 22,200dwt, designed to comply to all the latest IMO conventions and codes such as SOLAS, MARPOL and Loadline for worldwide operations.

Mr P K Mishra, IRClass' head of operations, commented: "I'm glad we were able to put into action and demonstrate our ability to adapt and respond quickly to the changing environment. This is a true test of IRClass' competence and I am extremely proud of our team for putting in the tremendous effort in the face of these challenges and continuing to soldier on even in such exceptional circumstances."